Estonia proposes letting 14-year-olds organise public meetings

Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs wants to let people organise public meetings from the age of 14, ERR reports. Current law requires organisers to be adults.

The draft says peaceful assembly is an important part of a democratic and pluralistic society, giving children a way to express their views and take part in public life. It sets the age threshold at 14 because people are independently responsible for public order from that age and criminal liability also begins at 14.

Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa Pakosta said the change would give young people more opportunities to speak publicly about their views and concerns, without having to find an adult willing to organise a meeting for them. Parents would still be responsible for supervising their children until they turn 18.

Organisers of meetings led by minors would have to notify police in advance, so officers could be on standby and assist if needed. Minors would remain responsible for the safety of their meetings and for following public conduct requirements, Pakosta said.

Karl Erik Kirss, head of the board of the Estonian Union of Student Representatives, called the proposal positive. He said public meetings and demonstrations are ways to show democracy is working, and that previous rules created bureaucracy for minors seeking to organise protests.

Kirss said minors do not often organise demonstrations, but noted that people under 18 had protested despite legal requirements during the period when Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was organising demonstrations. He added that demonstrations have become more common in Estonia, possibly because there are more polarising issues.